The truth is I never left you
by vickay
Summary: Perhaps a christmas oneshot! Rachel is shocked to discover just whom exactly is applauding her rendition of Don't cry for me Argentina. Because those curls sure as hell don't look like Andrew Llyod Webber. Jesse/Rachel


An un-beta'd Christmas one-shot (perhaps more if the response is good enough?) that actually leapt upon me when I was sick and watching my boxset of Glee. For the sake of this one-shot making sense, let's pretend that Sectional's happened literally days after A Very Glee Christmas! If anyone wants to get me a present Jonathan Groff, gagged and ready to go please? Only joking… kinda…

I don't own glee, nor Evita but sadly I am in possession of my depraved, perverted mind.

The truth is I never left you.

_Have I said too much?There's nothing more I can think of to say to all you have to do is look at me to knowThat every word is true._

Standing centre stage with her chest heaving Rachel glanced out over the now empty auditorium. Rachel waved goodbye to the departing Kurt as he scampered towards the exit with a glint in his eye muttering out a thank you and about being late for practise. Smiling wistfully at the boy who had unexpectedly become a close friend through the last few months her heart nearly leapt out of her throat as she heard a slow deliberate clapping. Turning towards the source of the clapping Rachel felt the shock stretching across her facial features before she could reign the emotion in. Mouth still slightly agape she waited for the intruder to speak.

" Practising for your solo at Sectionals? I told you before did I? You, singing Don't cry for me Argentina in front of a sold out crowd was an inevitability." Said intruder smiled mischievously a hint of pride in his eyes. "Hello Rachel."

"Jesse."

"Hello Rachel."

"W-what are you doing here?" Rachel asked in bewilderment. Shouldn't he be in Los Angeles right now?

"I'm home for winter break. My parents are wintering in Ko Phi Phi this year so I thought I'd stay with Uncle Alec for the holidays. And beside's I have unfinished business in Lima." He looked towards her pointedly and Rachel felt righteous anger build up inside her.

"Unfinished business? Like destroying my life even more? Did you not think cracking eggs all over my head last year and taking my Regional's title weren't enough?" The 'and my mother?' was left unsaid yet sounded loud enough for both Rachel and Jesse to hear. Jesse stared into her eyes unabashedly and Rachel swore in that moment he looked straight into her soul.

"I never got around to apologising for that did I? But then perhaps I could have if you ever answered your phone, read the messages or the letter or didn't tell your daddy that you would file a restraining order if I called by your house to explain ?" Jesse reasoned with undertones of both frustration and amusement lacing his tone.

Rachel blushed slightly. "I was angry! Rightfully so too!"

"I'm not disagreeing with you Rachel. But changing your answering machine to tell me that if I tried to ring again you would inform the sex offenders register that you where a minor being harassed was slightly harsh."

They stared at each other determinedly before Rachel felt her lips twitch and her delighted giggles burst through, Jesse couldn't hold his own laughter in and the auditorium was soon full of musical laughter. Rachel quietened down first and bit her lip as she looked at him from under her eyelashes. "I suppose that was a tad extreme."

Jesse smiled at her to let her know all had been forgiven. "I am sorry you know Rachel, I need you to understand that. I never should have given in to peer pressure and my own need to be popular blinded me. Hypocritical of me I know but college has taught me that high school Jesse? That guy was a douche."

Rachel gasped in mock indignation at his use of language before she smirked. "Yeah, he kind of was."

Walking closer to the stage Jesse took his time to look at Rachel completely. "How have you been?"

"Good! So far my year has been fabulous, glee club is going strong! I am still the captain and my vocal superiority still means I'm the main vocalist. I'm going out with Finn now and we love each other more than anything. My life is good right now." She beamed.

"Liar." The smile soon fell off Rachel's face.

"Are you insinuating I would lie Jesse?"

"Yes, you forget. I can tell a show face a mile off. Come on. What do you say I buy you a soy latte and you can tell me the truth this time?"

Rachel stared at him for an undetermined amount of time, her head tilted to the side as she observed him as if by sheer will force alone she could comprehend what his motives were. "T-that sounds acceptable.

Sliding into a booth at the appropriately named 'The Lima Bean' with Rachel beside him and two lattes in hand was hauntingly familiar to Jesse, his mind flashing back to pleasanter days and routines established between the pair. Sliding the latte to Rachel and curling her fingers around he watched as she inhaled its scent before taking a hesitant sip from the still piping hot drink.

"So start from the beginning Rachel, I don't want to be spared a detail." Jesse commented seriously.

Rachel looked at him mutinously before sighing quietly in defeat and beginning the tale of her year so far. " It all seemed so promising after the summer. Finn and I had embarked on a relationship just after Regional's and we were going great . Really great. I thought my life was perfect, then we came back to school. Matt had left New Directions and we were in need of new members. There was a foreign exchange student, her name was Sunshine. She was good Jesse. Like our standard good."

"What did you do to her?" Jesse queried, genuinely curious. Rachel mumbled out an answer quickly and Jesse was scared that he hadn't heard her correctly. "Sorry Rachel? You did what?"

"I sent her to a crack house…Although in my defence it wasn't active!"

Jesse laughed heartily. "That's brilliant. I never would have thought of that!"

"You aren't angry with me?"

"Why would I be? You were defended what was yours Rachel, if I was in that position I wouldn't have acted any differently. In fact I remember when I wanted to become captain of Vocal Adrenaline. I was ruthless in getting what I wanted Rachel."

"Like what?" Rachel asked.

"That's a story for another time. We're here to talk about you remember? So stop changing the topic." He smiled and nodded in encouragement as Rachel blushed and ducked her head at being caught.

"Well after that incident I was on the outs with the rest of the club. They couldn't understand why I did it. They mistake my ambitiousness as sheer selfishness. I'm the first to admit I'm selfish. I'm going to be a star Jesse, you have to be selfish to make it ahead in that business! But they where just cruel and when I went to make amends they threw it back in my face when Sunshine left. I never told her to join Vocal Adrenaline or got her a green card and a house! Yet I'm to blame."

"You do realise they're just jealous Rach?" the nickname left his lips easily. "They act this way because they know they aren't talented enough to get out of this godforsaken dump. Talent like ours intimidates them, you won't remember any of this when your picking up your Tony's"

"Thanks Jesse. Well that's most of the glee club stuff…" Rachel went over the highlights of her treatment at the hands of the glee club explaining about Kurt's departure before sighing and talking about the inevitable. "Jesse? Do you remember that time at my house last year… when we sang Like a virgin?"

"It will be embedded in my mind for the rest of my life Rachel." Jesse replied teasingly. "What of it?"

"Well, it's sort of to do with what I'm getting too now. That week in school Finn asked me outright if I slept with you and I lied and told him I did. He told me that he had a date with Santana the previous weekend and that he hadn't slept with her because he hadn't felt ready. Recently, I admitted I had lied. I got into an argument with Santana because she's been harassing me more than usual and she delighted in telling me that she and my 'perfect' boyfriend had slept together."

"Rachel, I can't say I care for the jackass. But I can assure you he's an idiot for thinking Santana compares to you in any way." He silently brushed the tears from her cheeks and cursed Finn Hudson to the depths of hell. "You're worth so much more than him Rachel. In every single way."

Rachel sniffed lightly and launched herself into his chest, her now cold drink forgotten as she allowed Jesse to fawn over her and comfort her. When she quietened down she gratefully took the handkerchief he always kept in his shirt pocket and wiped her eyes, fingering the J StJ initials she gazed up at him. "Thank you for listening."

"Anytime you want to talk Rachel, I'm a phone call or a flight away."

"Can I ask you something?"

"Anything Rachel."

"Did you really like me Jesse? Or where you just with me because my biological mother told you to."

"No. I had seen you at Sectionals and wanted to meet you. Our initial meeting and all those that followed were because of you. Shelby explained her situation and asked me for help and I thought I was doing a good thing for my girlfriend. You where never a means to an end Rachel."

"Are you dating anyone in college?" She asked abruptly.

"No. I tried for the first month or two but I couldn't really do it."

"Why not?"

"Because the girl I wanted was currently in Lima in McKinley High with her douche of a boyfriend."

"I didn't know you liked Santana."

"You mean to tell me that you didn't automatically forgive Finn?"

"Well, I couldn't. I thought revenge would make me feel better and I kissed Noah to try and equal the score. Finn apparently didn't like that and he and Santana have been dating since."

"God, he really is a douche. And Puckerman Rachel? Really?" Jesse questioned feeling slightly vulnerable. While he had been at McKinley he had observed not only Finn drooling after Rachel. Noah Puckerman may have been far more stealthy in his glancing at Rachel lustfully but Jesse had been brought up in an atmosphere to observe everything your competition did, so while it was not as frequent Jesse had observed it had still happened on more than one occasion. Jesse was astute enough to realise that while Rachel may have felt Finn was her knight in shining armour Puck was the man he should take more seriously as a potential suitor. Apparently this was still the case.

"He was the person I thought would annoy Finn the most. Second only to you, but you where thousands of miles away. And I wouldn't use you that way." Rachel commented truthfully.

"Noted."

"Why aren't you annoyed about my being with Finn?" Rachel questioned earnestly. In the past even bringing Finn up would have pissed Jesse off to the point were he fumed silently.

"Because you're my end game. No matter how long it takes you to get there nor how many pit-stops it takes you to realise it. I'll be there waiting."

"That was incredibly cheesy Jesse. What makes you think I'd ever take you back."

"You're here talking to me aren't you." Jesse grinned.

Rachel smiled at him briefly as she reached forward to squeeze the hand closest to her, relishing the feeling as Jesse turned said hand to link their fingers together. "I suppose I am. It won't be easy you know."

"You're worth the effort. Always." Rachel blushed before she reached over and kissed Jesse's slightly stubbly cheek. Jesse turned so his lips caught hers lightly. "Merry Christmas darling." He pointed to the mistletoe above them that they had failed to notice earlier.

"I'm Jewish Jesse."

"I know I was looking for an excuse to kiss you."

Rachel smiled seductively before whispering in his ear. "I always think that it's better to plead for forgiveness than ask for permission, the same can be said for giving excuses."

Jesse's reply was to kiss her again. Repeatedly.


End file.
